CompTIA Unveils Tool to Streamline PC Repairs

<p><strong> Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. &mdash; Aug. 10</strong><br />The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a trade association for the world&rsquo;s IT industry, has announced the availability of a new tool for technicians servicing personal computers and related equipment.<br /><br />The Standard Error Codes developed by CompTIA and its members are aimed at helping manufacturers of computers and peripheral equipment and their service personnel to gain better insight into service issues and trends affecting their products.<br /><br />&ldquo;Information collected through the use of these codes makes it easier for manufacturers to perform analysis of the symptoms reported by customers experiencing problems,&rdquo; said Richard Rysiewicz, CompTIA vice president of services. &ldquo;Manufacturers have the ability to track specific parts from service call initiation through resolution and back to the component manufacturer.&rdquo;<br /><br />It is expected that greater use of the codes will also allow manufacturers to reduce the volume of &ldquo;no problem found&rdquo; service incidents, when parts are replaced even though it is subsequently determined that they are not defective.<br /><br />Service providers can use the data collected using the Standard Error Codes to analyze their own repair experiences and trends.<br /><br />Service technicians use a series of numeric codes to identify the attributes of the service incident, including:<br /></p><ul><li>Primary operating system installed on the device being serviced.</li><li>Mode of failure (intermittent, continuous, etc.).</li><li>Actions taken by the services technician.</li><li>Symptom of failure mode that caused the customer to request service.<br /></li></ul><p>The original Standard Error Codes were developed by CompTIA in the mid-1980s as a guide for PC repair technicians. </p><p>Before their creation, manufacturers and their service representatives had no simple way to categorize problems.<br /><br />The new codes were developed with the involvement of more than a dozen companies, including Best Buy, Canon, Cisco Systems, CompuCom, DecisionOne, Dell, Fujitsu Siemens, Gateway, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Packard Bell, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Unisys and Xerox. </p><p>Many of these companies require service technicians who repair their equipment under warranty to use the Standard Error Codes, and others strongly recommend that they be used.</p>